New Jersey and Luna Parc

This past weekend Liesl, Quinn and I travelled to New Jersey.  Liesl had a trunk show at Traillworks Gallery in Newton, NJ.  We use to live in the area so it was also a good excuse to get together with old friends.  One of our friends is Ricky Boscarino.  Ricky is a multi-media artist.  Ricky works primarily in clay and metal, making incredible animal and insect like jewelry but his main media is his house.  His house is a museum and a constant work in progress.  This past weekend Ricky held an annual open house.  People come from all over to purchase his work and to see what is new at his house.  The grounds are spotted with other out houses, a chapel a sculpture garden and a sweat lodge amongst other things.  Here are some images from Ricky's place but check out his web site to see more of his house and to learn and see  more of his work.  Ricky's house sits on 5 acres that he calls " Luna Parc"  visit www.lunaparc.com   Oh yea'' Ricky is also a ordained minister.  We had a great time.

Jeff's cigar box guitar complete

Today Jeff and I put the finishing touches on his cigar box guitar.  It looks great and plays well. We used a nice piece of walnut for the fret board and finished it with a light coat of lacquer.  Nice job Jeff'

Jeff''s Cigar Box Guitar

The concentration is amazing'

Here Jeff is drilling some small holes to accommodate the escutcheon pins.

Tables and Cigar box guitars

Today Jeff Ellis came by the studio to make a cigar box guitar.  Jeff is the producer of the show " The Garage".  In episode four of the show we made a cigar box guitar.  Jeff wanted too make one so today was the day.  Before he arrived I cut and glued in pegs in the table tenons.  I still have the tops  in the clamps.

Tables- Glued up

Here are three tables glued and clamped.  Tomorrow I'll make the table tops.

More parts

The chamfer are cut and the tables parts are being glued together.

Shaker not stirred Continued

Today I continue to work on the tables.  I cut the tenons on the table saw using the dado blades and then added a small chamfer on the edge of the aprons using a chamfer bit in the router table.  I then glued the aprons and legs together,

Shaker not stirred

Yesterday I starting making a batch of legs for some shaker style end tables made out of pine.  The legs are tapered on two sides.  I used a shop made jig to taper the legs.  The legs have a 1/4" W x 31/" L mortise in them.  I used a straight bit on the router table to cut the mortises.  The aprons will be made out of pine and the tops will be made out of various re- used pieces such as some old T and G pine floor boards.

I made 30 legs.

Home

I made this sculptural chair with two other artist around eight years ago.  The chair is made out of cherry wood and has a shovel handle at the top.  I've been very influenced by shaker furniture with it's clean lines and wonderful joinery.  This poor old chair has been moved around looking for a place to sit.  Due to lack of storage space where we live I had to move it to the garage.  The chair is in great shape and when I came home today I saw it hanging on a hook in the garage.  I felt badly that I didn't have a more honorable place to store the chair but then I realized that this was the prefect place.  The title of the chair is " Tired".  It looks like a hay fork or a shovel so I imagine it taking a rest after a hard days work in the fields.  The Shakers coined the phrase " cleanliness is next to godliness"  and hung their chairs on the walls so they were out of the way and they could sweep the room properly.   The chair is in it's perfect place, hung on the wall of the garage where you would hang a hay fork or a shovel and out of the way, much like shaker chairs of the past.
Perfect'

Perfect'

Bits and pieces

Today was an odd day.  I spent most of the day doing bits and pieces of projects.  I finished making the hand plane I was working on and I started making some coasters for my friend Terry Eason in New Jersey.  Terry and I share a love of post modern furniture, especially contemporary plywood furniture.  I have a collection of old interiors magazines from the 50's and 60's.  I colored photocopied two full page adds for Herman Miller furniture out of the magazines and laminated them to a piece of plywood.  I'll cut the images and plywood to coaster sizes and then chamfer the edges turning them into great retro looking coasters.

Chickens, Eggs and Tomatoes

Koopman Lumber Company was giving away free tomato plants today so Quinn, Liesl and I went and got some.  We took some old tires and filled them with soil to make planters.  We put the planters outside of the studio.  We have a real urban farm going on.  We have the chickens and now tomatoes, ten more weeks we'll have eggs.

The Studio

I love how the studio looks o a nice day.  The front of the studio is saturated with sun light most of the day.

It's awesome

Bread Box, Hand planes and tables.

Today was a day of variety.  I started another bread box.  This one is going to Austin Texas.  I Got stock ready to make some shaker style tables and I started building a hand plane. 

I gave the cutting board in the bread box a coat of lacquer. I got all of the parts ready for the tables.  I have to cut the aprons and taper the legs.  I glued a bottom onto a block of ash that I'm using for the plane body.  I cut the cheeks of the plane on the band saw and then used the mitre saw to cut the inner blocks at an angle.

Art Allstate Exhibition

Here is an image of my spot in the Art Allstate artist/mentor exhibition.  I submitted a tea box, two tea lights and two cigar box guitars.  The guitars were a big hit with the kids and I sold one to another artist/mentor.

Thanks Angela'

Thanks Angela'

Art Allstate Continue

The finished project
AWESOME''

Art Allstate 2011

I spent this weekend at the Worcester Art museum.  Each year the museum hosts Art Allstate.  A state wide art collaboration featuring the states best Junior, high school art students.  All regions are represented.  I have had the privilege of being an Artist/Mentor to a group of 18 students for the past six years now.  Artist/Mentors are paired together.  This year I was paired with Cat Manolis, a great artist from North Carolina.  We had 18 awesome students.  Our chosen materials were plastic garbage bags and electrical wire.  Our given materials were yellow kraft paper and old baseball cards.  I always get jazzed at this event.  The outcome is awesome.  The first few images are of the students brain storming ideas and getting a feel for the materials they are going to use for their projects.  The later ones are of the project coming together.

Lie Nielson Tool Event

The Connecticut Valley School of Woodworking played host this weekend to the Lie Nielson Hand Tool Event.  Liesl dad and I headed off to Manchester, Ct for the event.  It was a good turn out.  The school was  full of like mined people suffering from tool drool.

Lie Nielson and The Connecticut Valley School of Woodworking

Today Liesl's Dad and I traveled to Manchester, CT for a hand tool event put on by Lie Nielson tools and held at The Connecticut Valley School of Woodworking.  What a fun day.  I've taught at the school, it was good to catch up with director Bob Van Dyke and other old friends such as Wil Neptune.  What a great display of hand tools.  I wish I could afford to buy them all.  You can spend a lot of many on awesome tools here, the school shares the building with a Woodcraft store.  Bob and Will were doing demos as well as Mike Pekovich from Fine Woodworking Magazine and Mickey Callaghan, past president of the Society of American Furniture Makers was there showing a beautiful piece he made, a eighteenth century New York corner chair made out of Mahogany.  It's awesome.

All tuned up'

Here are the cigar box guitars tuned and ready to be played.  They are tuned in open 'A' and open 'G' and sound surprisingly full and good.  I have a smaller cigar box that I'm going to turn into a ukulele.  Too much fun'

The Finale'

Today Jeff and I finished shooting an episode of "The Garage".  The project we made was a cigar box guitar.  These things are so cool and fun to make- and they work.  Visit www.cigarboxnation.com to learn more about the history of these instruments,how to make one and to see some really awesome examples.  

Here is the one I completed for the show.

Repeat Performance

Today was spent designing and working on some drawings for a potential customer but I did have a little time this morning to build another cigar box guitar.

Cigar Box Blues

Today Jeff and I shot an epidode for the show " The Garage".  The project for this episode is a cigar box guitar.  These things are really "COOL' and are the perfect re-use/recycle project.  You can get cigar boxes for free or next to nothing at your local liquor store.  The fret board/neck piece can be a store bought 1"x2".  The only thing purchased are the tuning pegs which cost $12 for six, which is ewnought for two guitars.  In a few hours and with simple tools you cab have a great instrument.  These things are serious and play well.  I had a great time.  Watch for this on episode 5 of the show.  Check the side bar too see where the show is available.